What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 220

#220

Faith, Hope, and the Age of Exploration?! (3)

‘What will you do?’

The winter night in Romero was deepening.

‘It’s time for the royals to move.’

Cedric recalled his mother’s gaze in the darkness.

‘I grant Marquis François Dhuem and his retinue a week. This is my last act of leniency.’

It was a secret imperial order.

A member of the guard attending Elisabeth left for the Marquisate to deliver the Emperor’s ultimatum.

He was trustworthy, having been watched by the two royals for a long time and being connected to Baroness Caroline Mutte.

On the surface, it seemed the Emperor was issuing a warning to the Marquis.

‘Hand over Prince Yesser willingly and step down.’ ‘In consideration of our past relationship and trust, I will grant you ample time.’

That was how Duke Simon de Sarnese would interpret it.

However, the Crown Prince knew his mother’s true intentions. Thus, he chose his own path.

“······”

He donned a monster fur coat, tucked a dagger into the side of his boots, and, while packing his blessed sword and simple rations, examined the table.

Under the dim magical light, a map of the continent and surrounding islands was visible.

It was late at night when everyone was asleep.

Davide, due to his long habit of assisting him, slept little and woke easily, but he was confident he wouldn’t be detected.

Moving silently was very easy for a swordsman of the 8th class.

-Creak

-Creak

······He slightly furrowed his brow.

“He woke up.”

He hadn’t intended to take them, but having been discovered, it seemed difficult to leave alone.

The divine beasts, who preferred causing trouble over sleeping, had sensed the adventure.

Leah came out of the bedroom, twitching her ears and circling around him.

Perry smelled the scent of a traveler on him and quickly climbed onto the table.

Then, he sat on the map, tilting his head. He seemed curious about where they were headed.

Cedric said curtly.

“Going south.”

-Kkuu?

Was more explanation needed?

“Cristel de Sarnese will find her own way to survive.”

-Kkiung

Although the possibility was very slim, it would be problematic if an Archbishop-level paladin became a soldier of the Duke.

If she had joined the ‘plot,’ his mother would take care of it all at once.

However, Cristel, as Cedric knew her, was a person with a firm center.

She was one who would abandon her father rather than betray the prince who had always shown her unwavering kindness.

With her power, she was more than capable of realizing her intentions.

“······On the other hand, it’s uncertain where the Prince will move.”

So, he had to get his hands on him as soon as possible. He needed to clearly understand his inner thoughts and stabilize him.

That was Cedric’s judgment. Leah wrapped her tail around his ankle as if to soothe him.

The man flipped through the pages of his mind that he had organized in advance.

First, it was urgent to figure out if the two families had a reason to do this.

But no matter how he considered it, the Marquis had no reason to plot treason.

As far as he knew, he cherished his siblings dearly and would never do anything that would hinder them.

Among them, treason was the most risky act in the empire.

It was a capital crime that could wipe out the entire family, and the Emperor, the opponent, was a Sword Master.

It was true that the Marquis’s knight order was unusually large, and the soldiers were exceptionally well-trained, but······.

“Reckless.”

It wasn’t just because he wasn’t the type to do such a thing that he was taking his side. Even when considering it rationally, the conclusion was the same.

For the Marquis’s ‘treason’ to even catch a glimpse of success, the Prince he was protecting had to provide meaningful help.

For example, the number of soldiers from the Divine Kingdom who had illegally entered the Unite River had to be large or very strong.

However, Sarah Beliard’s anonymous letter described them as ‘boy soldiers.’

The Barony of Berang was as poor as he remembered it when he visited as a child.

Of course······.

‘The person testified that Johann Haynes annihilated the Imperial Guard and that Yesser Fenetian was behind it.’

If Johann Haynes was there, it would be possible. The orange irises that had not received moonlight darkened.

-Kkiut

Perry tugged at his sleeve. The Crown Prince suddenly raised his head.

The divine beast was looking at him intently.

‘Do you really think the Prince is that kind of person?’ As if asking that.

“······”

Of course not. The Prince did not have the guts or the temperament to do that.

He, who would get out of a carriage in his royal attire to check on an injured roe deer and shed tears at the death of an old man on the street, would never have a paladin commit murder.

[I’m as good as dead in the Divine Kingdom. I almost died here too. Even living quietly is dangerous, so I won’t do anything reckless.]

[I swear.]

The promise of early summer flashed through his mind.

The Prince had clearly promised him that he would not collude with the Divine Kingdom. So, he could believe it.

He had to believe it, but he couldn’t understand why weeds of anxiety kept sprouting.

“······”

Could he be sure that he had never once thought of running away?

Could he assert that he had never witnessed the shadow of death on him?

-Thump!

-Kking!

Cedric slammed his fist on the desk. Perry was startled and cried.

The Crown Prince then realized that he had entered a state similar to a nightmare.

Since the Prince was not in the Imperial Palace, he couldn’t sleep comfortably, and as the situation escalated to the extreme, the scars of the past began to resurface.

‘Seidi. None of this is your fault.’

A hallucination he hadn’t heard since he was sixteen rang in his ears like a warning. His throat tightened.

‘Father, no. No! There’s too much blood······.’

‘I’m okay. I’m sorry to you.’

‘Physician, call the physician immediately! Just a little bit!’

‘I didn’t mean to hurt you like this······. My good son, ugh.’

-Squeaaaaak!

“Kugh.”

Cedric hurriedly exhaled and returned to reality.

Instead of his dying father, two small warmths were under his nose.

Leah and Perry were holding him tightly with tearful eyes.

He gasped for breath, trying to calm down. Seeing the two of them, the scene of that day suddenly came to mind.

Metallic wings with a purplish hue, and a jet-black sky pierced in the clear sky.

‘Sorry······. I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

And the Prince’s voice, whispering words similar to his father’s.

“······Not twice.”

-Kkurururu

The Crown Prince muttered lowly and lifted the little ones.

The Prince was not a traitor, and he must not be.

If so, Duke Sarnese must have betrayed the Empire. Why?

“It could be a matter of a spouse.”

The Duke had once promoted the engagement between him and Cristel.

It was before she absorbed the ‘Blessing of the Sea.’

Having missed the opportunity to become the father-in-law of the next Emperor, perhaps he was aiming for a religious spouse instead of a political one.

Cedric silently opened the balcony door. Whoosh! The cold winter wind struck his cheek.

He finally seemed to come to his senses.

“······”

He glanced at the dark room with the divine beasts on his shoulders.

On the table was a memo he had scribbled a little while ago.

It wasn’t like him, but if he knew he had worried Davide, a certain priest would feel resentful.

-Chirp!

Cedric was rarely surprised and turned around the railing.

-Chirp

“You.”

A very familiar wren was sitting in front of him.

Its feathers were disheveled, and its head and back were wet, as if it had flown a long way. It also seemed to smell of salt.

Perry and Leah raised their tails and expressed their joy.

Ttukseom made eye contact with the three in turn and hurriedly flew into the room.

Then, it began to peck at somewhere on the map on the table.

He already had the feeling that the journey would not be smooth.

“What are you doing? Did you leave the Prince behind?”

-Chirp-chirp!

Ttukseom was firm.

Seeing its empty ankle, it wasn’t delivering someone’s letter, but its stubborn pecking at one place was unusual.

In the end, Cedric sighed and re-entered the room.

The Crown Prince of a country was a sight to behold.

But if it was announcing the location of his partner, he had to check······.

“The Principality of Corleone?”

-Chirp-po!

The Crown Prince frowned, and the wren shouted the answer. The mid-bass baritone voice was lost in thought.

“Even divine objects make mistakes. Is intelligence really just for birds?”

-Chirp-chirp-chirp!

Then, the wren opened its beak in a rhombus shape and jumped up and down. The man scoffed.

“Is it likely that the Prince of the Divine Kingdom would go to such a decadent island of the godless?”

There was no reason or way to do so.

-Chirrrrr!

“Quiet.”

Cedric covered the wren’s wet body with a handkerchief and warned it.

It was one of the 25 pieces of cloth that Cristel had given him.

Ttukseom bumped its body against his finger in dissatisfaction, then danced and hopped on the Marquisate on the map.

Then, it pointed to the twin islands that made up the Principality one by one.

The Crown Prince stopped removing the moisture from the divine object.

The garnet-like eyes slowly widened.

“······Could it be.”

Looking again, there was a reason and a way to do so.

If his memory was correct, this was the only way for the Prince to reach the Imperial Palace without passing through a wide-area portal.

With even the land route blocked, there would be no other choice.

However, it was a difficult method to accept easily. The Principality was excessively corrupt.

Emma Corleone, the second daughter of the Prince and the Admiral of the Empire, was a precarious figure whom even his mother did not often try to meet.

Let alone someone like the innocent and ignorant Yesser Fenetian······.

“Let’s leave right away.”

-Chirp?

Cedric roughly grabbed a mocha bread and stuffed it into his arms.

The two divine beasts clung tightly to his shoulders.

The Sarnese would be dealt with by his mother and godmother. So, he decided to focus on Dhuem.

The man leaped onto the balcony in the blink of an eye. Flap! The sound of the cloak fluttering.

-Tap!

The figure disappeared in an instant. Only the curtains of Romero Palace waved goodbye.

*

It was good that he had come to the conclusion to pass through the Principality of Corleone, but after hearing the word ‘plaything,’ the Marquis looked a little different.

“······Prince Yesser, please stop looking at me with such strange eyes.”

“I’m sorry. Was it obvious?”

I tried to fix my expression and turned my head. Sir Johann, who was looking at us, smiled gently.

Marquis François Dhuem dramatically covered himself with his robe in a painful gesture.

I didn’t mean to tease him, but that’s how it turned out.

I wonder when I’ll be able to hear the story. Is he dating Admiral Emma Corleone?

“Yay, this is exciting! I’ve always wanted to go to the Principality! I heard they start dating from the age of six or seven? Is it true that they marry the first person they meet?”

“Maria, this is a journey where we only use the portal with the Admiral’s permission. Don’t even think about anything else. You have to behave properly. Even your brothers don’t wink carelessly in the Principality!”

Antoinette said with a troubled face as she packed her sister’s bag.

Maria’s bright pink eyes sparkled.

“Okay! I’ll bounce off any weirdos. My endurance and strength are second only to my little brother!”

The fourth child of the Marquis, Maria, was thrilled, saying it was her first real adventure.

The youngest, Therese, was standing demurely with the coachman, checking the route for the last time.

The relatively mild southern wind fluttered our clothes.

After a night of deliberation, we decided to move only a part of the group.

Someone had to take care of the territory and its people, and we didn’t know when the Emperor’s decree would come down.

Decisively, the fewer people using the portal, the better.

So, the members going to the Principality were decided to be me, Sir Johann, Demi, Tite, and the Marquis’s three siblings. Maria took on the important role of assisting her sick older brother.

Benjamin and Ganael, Antoinette and Therese, and the Baron of Berang’s family decided to stay here.

“For such a noble person to go to a land that does not believe in the main god… I am very worried. I will pray all night for your safety.”

“Thank you. But please pray while getting plenty of sleep. What would the children or Coco do if you get sick?”

I smiled and replied to the Baron’s words.

The Baroness and Elodie kissed the back of my hand earnestly.

Seeing the three of them worrying about me, I suddenly became angry at Duke Sarnese.

If he really received orders from the Divine Kingdom, wouldn’t that be too mean and cruel?

They had already lost their beloved son and brother, the twins, to that foreign prince.

I don’t know, but how could he pin the blame on these people?

He has his own family and children.

“Your Highness, please wear this on your head.”

At that time, Benjamin rescued me from my anger.

Then, together with Ganael, he carefully put a veil on me.

Maria, who had been bouncing around, smiled brightly at me.

“That’s right! Your Highness is especially beautiful and handsome, so it’s absolutely necessary. You might get kidnapped, proposed to, or even forced into marriage as soon as you arrive!”

Hiccup! Ganael hiccuped loudly. Sir Ervé Dhuem was horrified.

I almost dropped Demi and Tite.

What might happen to me······?